Republicans, 2016: In full swing

Tired of presidential politics? Get over it: Upwards of 15 prominent Republicans are privately contemplating 2016 campaigns for the presidency — and the most serious and ambitious of the bunch are already plunging in, some quite publicly.

Don’t expect them to officially announce or even officially decide for many months. But Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) are doing nothing to disguise their presidential ambitions.

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Messina on future of GOP

Jindal rejects Romney explanation for loss

Rubio already in Iowa

Jindal, the Rhodes scholar and new chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is making a very public case for a more intellectual approach to conservatism, accusing the GOP of being, in his words, “the stupid party.”

He offered a similar premeditated critique to reporters at the RGA, on Fox and in an opinion piece.

Rubio and Ryan, both arguably better positioned than Jindal, are also competing for the mantle of the high-energy, forward-thinking conservative. POLITICO has learned both will unveil new policy plans at an awards dinner of the Jack Kemp Foundation in early December: Ryan will begin a new push on a more modern approach to alleviating poverty, focused on education; Rubio will lift the curtain on an economic empowerment message, heavy on college affordability and workforce training.

That upcoming duet is one of the clearest signs that this presidential race is beginning as early as any in history.

Not to be outdone, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and heir to his father’s libertarian following, is now on the record exploring a run that will focus heavily on returning power to the states. In a post-election interview with POLITICO, Paul said he wants to find common ground with liberal Democrats on softer marijuana laws and help create an eventual pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

These 40-something rising stars are hardly alone. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, despite party grumbling about his embrace of President Barack Obama during the recent hurricane, has made plain that he plans to make the case that he has cracked the code on winning on Democratic turf. Christie has the perfect chance to take the temperature of big donors as he raises money for his 2013 reelection race for governor. He will do just that, friends say.

So after reading this entire article you found the need to start your post with "Gay Ambassador Chris Stevens"?

The GOP continues to prove they really learned zip, nada, zilch, about the America of today. You and your bunch still think it's Pleasantville 1955. Robert Young will walk through the door any minute and Bud will say, "swell pops."

Based on your insane rants, Michele Bachmann would be your best bet for 2016.

Oh please Politico. Leave us alone. You're already starting your 2016 horse race crap? Some people actually have a life besides following this crap for the next 4 years. I think it's time to delete my Politico bookmark. The election was 2 weeks ago and Politico starts their 2016 stories already.

Jindal accuses the Republicans of being stupid. That is obvious. But the connumdrum for Republicans is that if they become "smarter" then they will vote for Democrats. Want proof, just look at the correlation between the educational levels of a states citizenry and its voting habits. The stupidest states vote Republican and the most educated states vote Democrat. Sorry Jindal, you will need another strategy, why not try to scare us about debt or illegals or terrorist plots or some other conspiracy, OOPs I guess you have tried that and lost. Maybe you can cobble together greedy bankers and wall street tycoons along with evangelicals who don't read their own book. That might work, but there aren't enough of them. Maybe you Republicans should change you last names to latino surnames. That might work. or maybe you just might try to make us believe that you actually care about us, you know the 47% that you think are thieves and miscreants. You have your work cut out for you.

Seeing the Republican lineup for 2016 leaves me with more nausea than hope. It's sickening that these people are rushing to run before going off to a cave somewhere -- alone, not together -- and properly grieving their losses and soul-searching and studying and doing some deep thinking before coming back into the light of day to say they are ready to show us the way. Like the Benghazi and Rice and Petraeus Republican theatrical distractions, Republicans seem unwilling to deal honestly and head-on with their losses. Focusing on 2016 and a slate of new potential presidential candidates is understandably more attractive than doing what they need to be doing: such 2016 focus invites excitement and hope and dreams of Republican dominance in D.C. instead of the pain of grieving and self-analysis and soul-searching that leads to a change in vision, attitude and Republican programs.

I see two winnowing categories to subject the potential presidential candidates to (photographically displayed above):

Too Dumb to Lead (which includes those) too green to lead, but the green have hope of growth and education over time): In this category I would put Ayotte, Paul, Santorum, Rubio, Pence, Perry, Martinez, Haley, Walker, Sandoval and Bachmann. I'd reluctantly put Christie on this list too and possibly McDonnell. (McDonnell wasn't a very able Romney surrogate.) I don't know that much about Portman, Thune and Sandoval but Thune may be in this category too (based on two interviews and speech he gave that I heard).

Too Ugly in Attitude to Lead: Bachmann, Walker, Santorum, Perry, Haley, Paul, Pence, McDonnell, Christie, and Ryan (though he talks a good, compassionate game and personally comes across well -- meaning good-willed enough -- but his budget and proposed legislation is ugly).

Who's left standing after the winnowing? Of the presented group, we have Portman, Jindal and Bush. I could see Jindal attracting a big bunch of independents and Democrats if he's serious about breaking up monopolistic businesses and financial behemoths that are designated too big to fail. If he aggressively seeks to throw the Wall Streeters in jail for their criminal activities of 2008 (and earlier), then he will have across-the-board appeal. He's also the one offering the best analysis so far of what is wrong with the Republican Party. The very name "Bush" makes most of us queasy if not fully nauseous, which is something that will hurt Jeb's chances. Plus, the Bushes are lackeys of the rich, like most Republican leaders. Portman has all the charisma of a wall of paint drying. But maybe the eventual leader of the Republicans isn't pictured above but is off somewhere in a cave grieving and soul-searching and looking for the higher, better way.

@My201K - Please don't feed the troll. If everyone ignores him, perhaps Angeleyez will go away. One can only hope.

As for the subect of this article, MAKE IT STOOPPP PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE. Lord have mercy. the 2012 Elections are less than a month old and already we're being bombarded with articles speculating about 2016 races. This last campaign was incredibly long and incredibly ugly. Can we please get a rest?

In my opinion, the only one in this crowd who poses a realistic challenge to Democrats is Jeb Bush. He is a reasonable, serious politician and has expressed concern all along that those on the fringes of the Republican Party would do the country and the GOP harm. The other one not pictured here that would stand a chance is Jon Huntsman. The rest will lean whichever way the conservative winds are blosing.

Ryan will begin a new push on a more modern approach to alleviating poverty, focused on education;

All right Paul, nice start...BUT. If the dollars for that education come from coersion and government redistribution, you already lost my support.

Jindal, the Rhodes scholar and new chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is making a very public case for a more intellectual approach to conservatism, accusing the GOP of being, in his words, “the stupid party.”

The word on the street is that Jindal is scolding the GOP for being "exclusionary." Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong there. Bobby, if you seek to PANDER based on race, sex, or ethnicity, you've LOST my support. If you seek to make our party "smarter" in the manner of Bill Buckley, I'll support you 100%!

Rubio will lift the curtain on an economic empowerment message, heavy on college affordability and workforce training.

As an AFP activist I had the opportunity for a sit down with Marco before he officially announced his run for the Senate. Like myself, Marco was a Tea Party Constitutionalist before anyone even knew the term. The farther Marco strays from that message, the smaller he looks in the rearview mirror.

Not to be outdone, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and heir to his father’s libertarian following, is now on the record exploring a run that will focus heavily on returning power to the states. In a post-election interview with POLITICO, Paul said he wants to find common ground with liberal Democrats on softer marijuana laws and help create an eventual pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

THIS is the message that needs to be learned if America is going to survive. Period.

If Rand sticks to this message--and eschews some of the LUNATICS who adhered to his father--I will support him with everything that I own, and all the time I have. The 10th Amendment needs to once again be obeyed.

Ryan will begin a new push on a more modern approach to alleviating poverty, focused on education;

All right Paul, nice start...BUT. If the dollars for that education come from coersion and government redistribution, you already lost my support.

Jindal, the Rhodes scholar and new chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is making a very public case for a more intellectual approach to conservatism, accusing the GOP of being, in his words, “the stupid party.”

The word on the street is that Jindal is scolding the GOP for being "exclusionary." Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong there. Bobby, if you seek to PANDER based on race, sex, or ethnicity, you've LOST my support. If you seek to make our party "smarter" in the manner of Bill Buckley, I'll support you 100%!

Rubio will lift the curtain on an economic empowerment message, heavy on college affordability and workforce training.

As an AFP activist I had the opportunity for a sit down with Marco before he officially announced his run for the Senate. Like myself, Marco was a Tea Party Constitutionalist before anyone even knew the term. The farther Marco strays from that message, the smaller he looks in the rearview mirror.

Not to be outdone, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and heir to his father’s libertarian following, is now on the record exploring a run that will focus heavily on returning power to the states. In a post-election interview with POLITICO, Paul said he wants to find common ground with liberal Democrats on softer marijuana laws and help create an eventual pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

THIS is the message that needs to be learned if America is going to survive. Period.

If Rand sticks to this message--and eschews some of the LUNATICS who adhered to his father--I will support him with everything that I own, and all the time I have. The 10th Amendment needs to once again be obeyed.

To those of you who are trying to decide which of these 16 will be the least objectionable in four years, remember this....The Republicans still haven't come to grips with why they lost the election. They've yet to put down the guns in the circular firing squad.

To those of you who are trying to decide which of these 16 will be the least objectionable in four years, remember this....

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"Least objectionable"? That's a leftist or RINO way of looking at reality. The suppoosedly "least objectionable" to all non-conservatives has LOST the last two general elections--McCain (Mr. Reach across the aisle) and Romney (Mr. RomneyCare).

The GOP needs to find a moderate, like Jon Huntsman. This is a Center-Right Country, but not a Conservative Country

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Trackk's post serves as a cautionary tale for the GOP. It epitomizes the DANGER of nominating moderates (RINO's). Trackk has done you the favor of being honest about his party affiliation--he's a Liberal. IOW he's been honest abvout his agenda, which is a rarity among Liberals. He obviously wants the Democrats to win.